Ten health workers from Peace and Love Hospitals and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) counseling center have finished a virtual four-week training programme in cancer genetic modules at Columbia University in the USA.

The training, held from March 6th to March 28th, 2024, sought to improve the participants' understanding of cancer genetic counseling and testing comprising 8 modules, each consisting of 8 sessions lasting 4 hours.

The training covered various topics such as genetics and the molecular basis of inheritance, human genetics focusing on health and disease, indications for cancer genetic counseling, role-playing exercises, facilitating decision-making, and the process of ordering testing, among other subjects.

Among the professionals who participated in the training were Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, Dr Abena Ofosuah Addai, Dr Benjamin Oti Asante, Mrs Victoria De-graft Agyei, and Mrs Bernice Ofosuhene Peasah.

Rev. Patrick Agyekum, Ms. Rita Achiaa, Mr Samuel Kwasi Wiafe, Ms. Priscilla Osei, and Elizabeth Aba Akoto also underwent the training.

Certificates of participation and completion were awarded to the participants, including Dr. Mrs Wiafe-Addai, Chief Executive Officer of Peace and Love Hospitals, at a brief ceremony held at the hospital's premises.

Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai underscored the significance of the training, particularly considering the high incidence of breast cancer in Ghana. She highlighted that nearly 30 percent of breast cancer patients in the country are triple negative and typically under 50 years old.

Dr Wiafe-Addai expressed optimism about the collaborative efforts between Columbia University, Peace and Love Hospitals, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, stating that it would revolutionize breast cancer management. She emphasized the importance of identifying hereditary breast cancer, which could benefit both patients and their family members by indicating a risk for other cancers as well.

Dr Wiafe-Addai commended the trainees for their dedication to the programme and highlighted their pivotal role in training others to address the health challenge in the country.

Participants expressed gratitude to Peace and Love Hospitals and Columbia University for the initiative, stating that the training would enable them to effectively manage the condition.

Mrs Ofosuhene, a Senior Counseling Psychologist at KNUST and one of the trainees in Genetic Counseling and Testing, believed that the training would alleviate the psychological trauma associated with breast cancer and other cancers in Ghana.